Michel Foucault Personal Autonomy and Education

The push towards greater autonomy is one of the three main trends in every modern educational policy, alongside quality assurance and quality evaluation techniques and the need to devote attention to special — and often disadvantaged — target groups. It is, however, difficult to derive a unified concept of `autonomy’

Allowing learners to take some responsibility may seem obvious yet what is actually afforded to them, and how this process works, remains difficult to grasp. It is therefore essential to study the real objects of devolution and the roles played by the subjects involved. Devolution and Autonomy in Education questions

The book explores the idea that pedagogy for autonomy requires the integration of teacher and learner development and can be enhanced through a case-based approach in teacher education. A case-based approach values experiential professional learning and expands professional competences necessary to promote autonomy in schools: developing a critical view of

This text is one of a series of six studies which present the work carried out at the European Centre for Modern Languages. The aim of the series is to highlight the results already achieved and provide a point of departure for the future work of the ECML.

Pedagogy for autonomy is a continuous struggle for transformative and empowering education. That struggle entails reflecting on what fosters or hinders teacher and learner development, acting towards challenging and reshaping oppressive forces and circumstances, and being willing to deal with complexity, uncertainty and risk-taking, without losing one's hopes and ideals.